Dear friends, we have some not very good news about Petro. People’s Project has always been keeping to the principles of transparency and openness, so we are not going to conceal any troubles that may occur in our work from time to time, from you.
This is where we had to start. This is the remainders of the foot cleared from excessive tissues that went necrotic
Hence, to Petro’s case: within the Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded project we are saving the guy’s leg from amputation. In May, Petro had stepped on a mine, and the explosion torn his heel bone off, destroyed the bones of the foot having turned the limb into a dreadful mess of bone fragments, muscles and skin. Medics in a conventional hospital had no other options, so exhausted Petro had been prepared for the surgery aimed to amputate the horrible remains of the foot.
One of the first surgeries. This is a side view demonstrating how much of the foot was left
Honestly, at the very beginning we got scared by the situation ourselves, as the doctors’ decision seemed easy to understand. The state medicine possesses no means allowing to save the leg, heal up the severest injuries and get the limb restored in its functionality. And we would have agreed to conventional medicine doctors if we were not sure that the treatment the Project offered gave the chance to get Petro back to normal life.
This picture was taken before the latest reconstructive surgery. The entire defect has been restored using a piece of skin
Since the very first days with the Project, Petro has been patronized by a team of unique specialists headed by Volodymyr Oksymets. A surgeon-orthopedist of the highest level, Volodymyr Mykhaylovych drew up a plan of the restoration of the foot: first, during the initial stages of treatment, the doctors had to fill the holes in the soft tissues and re-compensate the severe soft tissue defects. Later, when a foot has gained new healthy muscles, connective tissue and skin, the surgeons will proceed to restoration of the bones: for example, a new heel bone is now being grown up at the laboratory.
By the way, quite unexpectedly Petro started to move his injured leg immediately following the first surgeries
Still lately, after another reconstructive surgery, Petro’s condition suddenly worsened. This was caused by a misfortune that happened in his sleep: the guy placed the leg in a wrong position in which a piece of newly transplanted skin got pressed which led to stoppage of blood circulation in the area. Further examinations showed that saving a part of transplanted tissues would not work as long as the process of rejection started.
Another torture. Well, this time it is about treatment, not amputation
Still, there was no big misfortune that could have affected the whole course of treatment or obliterated all efforts – honestly, in view of the foot’s initial condition and the amount of further surgeries, it could be taken as a minor temporary trouble. Right now, at this very minute while you are reading these lines, Petro is undergoing another surgery. In the course of a corrective operation, the doctors are going to thoroughly examine the foot, remove the rejected tissues and to decide on further actions – perhaps, they will choose to repeat the reconstructive stage anew: no decision has been made on this yet. We are going to tell you about the situation in detail in a couple of days, when the surgery is over, Petryk is back to consciousness again and the doctors got the full picture of it.
Petro and People’s Project co-ordinator, Maxym Ryabokon
It is worth mentioning that young Petro seems to be a highly considerate and thoughtful person. He is not afraid of a long-term difficult treatment that is going to take more than just a year. Someone could have given up and agreed to amputation, still Petro is quite resolute about planning his further lifestyle; besides, he has been actively helping us to accumulate the sum necessary for his treatment. Only recently he has transferred to the Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded project’s account another 40 thousand hryvnias. Part of this money was a contribution made by a local community of the guy’s hometown, the village of Baranivka; another part was raised by Petro’s friends and family. Let us remind you once again that Petro himself do not keep away from the initiative: he has been earning his life and treatment by coaching Maths, – being a student at the Radiophysics Faculty of the Shevchenko University, he is quite experienced in the subject.
But can you guess how much money was allotted to the wounded fighter’s treatment by the state? Right, an absolute, perfect zero. So all the expenses on the Project have become our own responsibility, as we, the volunteers of People’s Project, can carry out the restoration of the injured fighters within the Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded project at the expense of your benevolent donations solely. There remain not too many unpaid bills for Petro’s treatment: we have already paid over 700 thousand hryvnias, and still have to pay a far lesser sum. Shortly, we are going to pay these 40 thousand hryvnias, – most likely, this money will cover the expenses for this additional unexpected surgery. In general, we still have to pay over 60 thousand hryvnias. That is why we have to repeatedly ask you for assistance: dear friends, can we please cover all the expenses on Petro’s treatment and focus on the rest of the fighters’ needs. Because, unfortunately, Petro is far from being the last wounded soldier of this war who can rely upon our assistance solely.
